


More Than An Arm

by EHyde



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men (Movies)
Genre: Drabble, Gen, silliness, steve and bucky are way more caught up on pop culture than tony realizes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-31
Updated: 2014-05-31
Packaged: 2018-01-27 20:24:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1721471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EHyde/pseuds/EHyde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This would be the last time Bucky--now a member of the Avengers--was asked to sit a mission out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	More Than An Arm

“Barnes, you’re gonna have to sit this one out.”

The newest member of the Avengers barely acknowledges Natasha’s words, just looks to Steve for confirmation.

Steve sighs. “She’s right, Bucky. The man can control metal. You—” He doesn’t say  _you’d be more of a liability than an asset_ , but Tony’s sure that Barnes can hear the words loud and clear. He can hear them too, but for Tony, the sting’s not there. He’s done this before, he knows that the team sees—and needs—the man inside the suit.

“Where are the X-Men?” Tony asks, trying to defuse the situation. “Isn’t Magneto kind of  _their_  problem?”

Natasha shakes her head. “There’s no sign of them, and people will get hurt if we wait for them to show.”

“You’re going,” Barnes says, looking directly at Steve.

“Bucky, I’m—” Cap’s shield is nowhere to be seen.

“More than just a shield. I know.”

“Hey, I’m sitting this one out too,” says Tony. “Look, we’ll have everything up on screen here. We’re just limited to tactical support and strategic backup, is all.” Barnes scowls at him. “It’s not like Steve will be alone out there. You know how good Romanov and Hill are.” His expression doesn’t change. “Man, you need to lighten up. Hey, you know what? They don’t need us. We’ll put on a movie instead. Get you caught up on what you’ve missed.” Barnes’ scowl grows deeper, and he turns and leaves the briefing room.

“Tony …”

“I know, I know,” says Tony. “I don’t know him.” It’s come up before, and the way things are going, Tony doesn’t think he ever  _will_  know him.

~~~

Tony does watch the action on screen. Whether or not Steve, Natasha, and Agent Hill need his support, he needs to know what’s going on. But it’s not going well, and frankly, there’s not much support he can provide. “JARVIS,” he says. “A completely nonmetallic suit. Could we make that work?”

“Not in the next twenty minutes, sir.”

“In general, though.”

“Might I remind you of what happened the last time you started making suits for every imaginable threat?”

“Right. Right. I just—” Steve and Hill are immobilized, wrapped in pipe or rebar or something. Natasha is nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, a new figure enters the scene. It’s Barnes, wearing his old Winter Soldier getup, pistol held in his outstretched metal arm. What was he—? Barnes  _never_ exposed his prosthetic like that. Ever since Steve brought him in, every time he’d gone out it’d been long sleeves, gloves. And he has it on full display for a guy who can control metal?

Barnes fires several shots. They all miss, of course, and his arm is thrown back, immobilized, holding him in place. “Fascinating,” Magneto says, slowly lifting Barnes into the air by his metal arm. Tony winces; that has got to hurt.

“Guess they were right,” Barnes says. “Guess you can control metal.” He grins.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Because I know something you don’t know.” And in barely the blink of an eye he’s got a knife, and he throws it, and it must be obsidian or something, Tony thinks, because it hits Magneto in the shoulder. “I’m not left-handed.”

That distraction is all Natasha needs to come in and knock him out with her Widow’s Bite, and—Tony blinks. “Did he just—?” He blinks again. Steve was right. He really doesn’t know Bucky Barnes at all.

**Author's Note:**

> hey, I'm [fallenwithstyle](http://fallenwithstyle.tumblr.com) on tumblr if you want to come say hi!


End file.
